After stopping in two months ago asking for a specific book and leaving my number. Anmon called me saying he had a similar book! I thought that was nice he remembered. I went to pick it up and grabbed a few more books. He's very nice, if you are nice as well!! Lots of treasures there. read more

Friends and i use to shop here over 20 years ago and we got to know the owner well.. i got him to open up to me one day and he told me he lost his whole family in the holocaust enough said.. i tryed to stop in a couple of years ago and i got the same reaction from him as other people... he told me if i wasn't there to buy anything then i should leave and he didn't have time to help me ( this is after he realized who i was and remembered me right away he started asking how my other friends are and even mentioned them by name) For anyone who had a bad experience here just look at the man then maybe it will make more sense its just unfortunate cause it really is a cool store and he has alot of rare and collectible books. read more

REAL BOOK STORE FOR REAL BOOK LOVERS. Do not let the mixed reviews deceive you. The owner is extremely passionate and personal, having tons of knowledge and going out of his way to help you. If you think he is rude or pushy then you are simply ungrateful and dont recognize a real personal owned business. The collection of art books and american/epic classics is exactly what ive been looking for and the prices are fair when considering competitors. You get what you pay for and can leave with a $5 book or $500 book and both are worth that price. read more

Booklovers Paradise - Just one aisle of many - Used Bookstore Near Me - Bellmore, New York

Such a unique collection of books that the owner takes a lot of pride in. I live locally and have been wanting to stop in, now I will be a regular. If you are a true book lover, you will enjoy a visit to this bookstore! read more

Not impressed with selection of books. Owner is a jerk. He's extremely obnoxious. I was really looking forward to going there and was very disappointed. A real waste of time read more

I don't understand the reviews here. Prices were fair and owner was polite. I was nervous after reading the reviews here, but they did not reflect my experience at all. Guy up front, I assume owner, asked me what I wanted. I told him, and he led me to the areas I could find what I was looking for. I found one book, but not the other, so he had me leave my name and number. We cracked a couple light jokes back and forth about my taste in books and clothes, but it was in no way rude or abrasive. Prices for classics seemed fair. Around the $10 mark. They are available elsewhere for cheaper, but I'm sure the translations and editions available here are long out of print. Some rarer academic works were outside my price range ($40-90). There are an incredible number of books for the space. If you are searching for something rare, you may find it. read more

Booklovers Paradise - Some books from the religion stacks. As you can see, the stacks are very narrow. - Used Bookstore Near Me - Bellmore, New York

Went with my significant other on January 25th, 2025 to check this place out. Despite all the reviews, I liked the place. I was immediately greeted by the store owner and asked what we were looking for. He showed us exactly what we wanted and where it was located. You'll find a book to walk out with regardless with the amount of stuff in here. I got about 7 books and paid 75$ which is fair. Also Im not sure if anyone has addressed the fact that he has a lot of "antique" art type items. For example there was a few long island historical framed pieces like maps, bill of sales for towns from the native Americans back in the day, coke cola mirror, George Washington framed quotes. All priced fairly at about 25$/30$. I definitely plan on returning here as soon as possible. Hopefully if anything this review can help more people actually go here, places like are rare and special in my opinion. read more

Booklovers Paradise - One of the rows of books - Used Bookstore Near Me - Bellmore, New York

I've been here a few times. I don't mind the disorganized state. But, the other reviewers are correct. This is the first time I was there and didn't buy anything. The owner went from friendly to rude. He suggested that I didn't look long and hard enough (impossible to do in a single lifetime with how this place is set up) and that I needed to bring money if I wanted to do business. I've been here in the past and he did change the price of books based on market value, which I didn't mind. But, to say this today when I didn't make mention of prices, was a bit weird. read more

True to its name, this really is a booklover's paradise with mountains of books piled up to the ceiling. An amazing collection, a rare gem of Long Island, and the owner was very nice to me. read more

I am a book lover who loves second hand bookstores, no matter how chaotic they are. But I don't understand how this business is allowed to stand when an able bodied person like myself is barely able to walk down the narrow aisles in between overflowing bookshelves and piles on the floor. I could ignore the state of the store but like other reviewers, my interaction with the owner made me want to write this review. I am not an overly cautious person either but I would not encourage anyone to go in there alone, especially if there are no other customers in the store. He gets a little too in your face and doesn't want to hear that you're just browsing or looking at books and really expects you to drop some money. I believe I can speak based on my experience going to many other used bookstores: these are WAY too overpriced for their condition. Some books are yellowed and dirty and have torn spines and I can't believe the paperbacks are $8 and hardcovers are $10. I said I was traveling and just decided to walk in the store and the owner asked if "I could turn that travel into some money for him." Overall, an uncomfortable and overwhelming place. read more

Booklovers Paradise - Inside of store - Used Bookstore Near Me - Bellmore, New York

See all

Who on earth gave this guy 4- or 5-star reviews??? Anyone that's been there, and isn't shilling for the owner, left the store either shaking with fury, or shaking on the verge of tears! There is nothing quite like it. read more

Sorry to say that it was a deeply unpleasant and awkward shopping experience. The price listed on the item is not necessarily what you will pay. I was at the counter ready to pay for a bunch of old books and magazines, and the owner spent a good 30 minutes looking up each item on Ebay to see whether he can fetch a higher price. A $17 issue of Cosmopolitan from 1971 suddenly cost $30, etc. When I questioned why he wasn't charging the price that we wrote himself, his answer was, verbatim, that it's not like the old days, he needs to make a living and helpfully suggested i save my money next time when I want to shop here. To say I was taken aback was an understatement. I wasn't trying to haggle with the guy, but why bother advertising one price and get an attitude when the customer asks you to honor that price? Then, he suggested that I should peruse garage sales instead. Wow. So much for supporting your local bookstore! read more

Excellent book store1 The owner is helpful and very knowledgeable. It is a wonderful place to browse and enjoy time with books.

My almost 23 year old Law student son retells this easy to foresee and believable tale.... Son: Oh, cool... a used bookstore, I'm gonna check it out. The dust is apparent as he enters the store. Owner: Hello there... are you here to spend 300-400 dollars ? Son: I'm just here to browse. Do I look like I have that kind of money ? Owner: no, but you look like your father does. (That would be Lee M those not in the know) Son: finding a narrow 30 page book the width of a slice of Pizza "Social Contract" by Russo, typically found for a quarter, here priced at 12.50. Son goes to walk out Owner: stopped talking to him earlier once a sale was not imminent. Hmmmmmm read more

This is a bookstore for readers. The owner is kind and knowledgeable if you're there to find books. I've spent entire afternoons here, I'm always excited to go back. The owner is Jewish and has the largest judaica section I've ever seen. The swastikas on books are histories of WW2 and the holocaust, like "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich". read more

A book lovers paradise couldn't be more on point! I had the complete opposite experience compared to the reviews I read here on Yelp. Here's how it went down I walked in and was immediately amazed at the collection of books. Piles and piled. My eyes didn't know where to start. I was greeted by a man in a large coat (no heat in here) and he goes "Hi ma'am something I can help you find?" I tell him what I'm looking for and he tells me, "I don't believe I have it, but I certainly can order it for you for $11." I told him that's alright for now. He suggested a book off my interest in novels and we had a brief conversation. He directs me to where the book is and instantly pulls it off a shelf. He knows where everything is! I picked up two books. One for $19 and the other for $6. I spent an hour here, browsing through the collections of books. I found so many interesting books. This place is truly a gem. I can't wait to come and find some more! read more

See all

Every now and then I check the reviews for this place, just for my own amusement. My own experience dates back pre-Yelp, so I hadn't posted it, but it's obvious that the owner hasn't changed his ways at all, so I think it's fair to post my own story. I'd been a customer for some time; I didn't go there frequently, but when I did I bought 3-4 items at a time. This was some time ago, and in those days he also had a rack of videos on DVD and VHS for sale, though I have no idea if that's true anymore. I hadn't bought any of them but it gave me an idea. I had four videos, all good titles, still in the original shrink-wrap that I didn't intend to watch, and I knew there he had two paperback books I was interested in. He priced his videos for $10 each, and the books I wanted were marked at $1.50 each; wouldn't it be a good idea to offer a trade, the four videos for the two books? I was fairly sure he recognized me as a current customer when I relayed my offer, but his response was to literally wave it away and say that if I spent at least $20, he'd give me $1 for the four videos. I was taken aback, so I tried to explain that I was offering merchandise worth $40 in exchange for $3 of worn paperbacks. He could even discount the videos at half price and still make a good profit from the deal, that selling a single video would net him more than both books. His reply was to say not to tell him how to do retail, and if he took my offer he couldn't afford to buy his daughter Christmas presents. After a little more of this I started to leave, saying I wasn't going to shop there again; he yelled after me that I was banned from the store. I haven't been back since. read more

C'mon Yelp, allow zero star reviews! I think this man is delusional.... My boyfriend and I stopped in here the other day; he's always on the lookout for used gunsmithing books. First indication that this place doesn't get much business- the lights weren't even on. The old man was sitting outside and when we pulled up and when he led us in he turned the lights on. Among the piles and piles of books, the old man Finds a gunsmithing book that Boyfriend doesn't yet own so, things are lookin' up at this point. Oh how quickly they go downhill. The exchange below is as close to real life as I can remember: boyfriend: "great, I don't have this, what's the price on this one" Old man: "prices are written on the inside" Boyfriend: (opens cover) "what a bargain! 25 cents it says?" Old man "no. Twenty five DOLLARS" Boyfriend: "for this? It's old, worn, yellowed, and says here originally $9.99" Old man: "I don't want to deal with you anymore. I only want to deal with people who want me to earn a living" Boyfriend "but this is a lot of money to pay for a used book.." Old man: " come back when you have money then. I don't want want to deal with you. Goodbye." ......my guess is if you're sitting outside of your shop with the lights off, you aren't really making a living anyway....sorry old man read more

Owner wanted higher than eBay prices. On the plus side he does have tons of books. I bought a book for $10 even though probably worth $5 out of guilt and wanted to be supportive during pandemic. read more

Very helpful and knowledgeable staff. The selection is varied, interesting and extensive. If you love books, you will love this place. read more

I am a twenty-two-year-old law student, so I spend a great deal of time reading. I've lived Upstate, on Long Island, and now in NYC and I am confident that this store is the "best" bookstore in all NY. To say I am baffled by the negative reviews is an understatement. I am appalled. Since my first visit, I have been back numerous times, arriving with a plan to buy one book but leaving with many, many more. Ask him a title, he'll tell you where it is without relying on an online database. Can't find it? He'll recommend similar authors and titles. It's pretty simple, if you come in and present yourself as a serious customer you will, in return, meet a serious business owner who is passionate about his store. Some reviewers mentioned the upsurge in pricing for a book that was priced at, let's say, $9.99 in 1980 and now it's $20. One, you need to factor in inflation and basic supply and demand. Two, it is not rude for him to refuse to lower his prices based on subjective and likely uninformed bargains. Three, when I struggle to choose between books or a price dissuades me from a sale, he tends to reduce the price to reflect fair market value and makes it easier for me to afford more books. Let me reiterate: This is the best bookstore in all NY. Come and marvel at aisles made by books and engage with a man who saves works long forgotten for you to rediscover. 10/10 Park next door in the lot or on the street in-front of the store. Takes cash and card. Rare, used, and new books. read more

I'm a huge book lover and avid reader, but I always avoided this indie bookstore because of the awful stories I've heard about the owner. However, I did finally go inside about a week ago and had a very different experience than most here seem to have had. Yes, the owner did ask me if I was going to spend money as soon as I walked in, to which I told him I wasn't sure and that I'd buy if I happened to find something I wanted. He didn't push it any further and instead asked if there was something I needed help finding. I browsed on my own for a bit and then started asking him if he had certain poetry collections. He definitely knows what he's talking about in terms of literature and is sitting on quite the treasure trove. I was so happy to end up finding a first edition volume of Plath poetry which I bought. My only complaint is that the organization of the store felt a bit frustrating at times. While the owner seems to know where most things are by memory, there were some things he remembered having but couldn't find because of piles stacked everywhere outside of the shelves, on the floor, etc. I was a bit short on time and it would have taken me hours to sort through everything I wanted to look through. If you're a lover of classic books and don't mind searching around a bit, this place is great and I will for sure be returning. read more

AWFUL MAN ! I came to sell some old books from my grandfather he looked at a few books gave me a dirty look and said " I am wasting my time" I tried to make light of it by saying hey your shops open till 5 he then said " I wish you never came here" and shoved my books back in to the box and walked away I said he was very rude a left. I should've read the reviews on here before I went and saved the aggravation. Only getting one star because I have to put a star to post read more

The owner is a horrible human being. He was rude to me. He was overcharging. he told me explicitly that he didn't want me to come into the store without buying anything. And when I pressed him on that, he walked away from me and told me never to come into his store again. I refuse to believe that this is anything but a money-laundering front. read more

This obnoxious man saw my name in a newspaper, found my website, emailed me an urgent message relating to the article and asked me to call him. I did under the assumption that he knew me or the work that I did and wanted to promote it. He didn't. He just wanted to sell me used books. I've never been to this store, and I will never set foot in this store. read more

Great selection, well organized, reasonably priced. Went with friends to see if some of the negative reviews were true. While some collectable books were expensive, most were affordable. The owner was helpful; he wanted to show me where my preferred generas were, but gave me plenty of time and space to look through the entire store. read more

So I am joing those who had been treated like a junk by the owner.. If you do not search for anything specific do not STEP IN. You will "waste his time". (his own words). I found this store online and was amazed. Drove there about 40 minutes. I got there and when I said I would like to look what he has he stopped me right there. He is the rudest person I ever spoke with. I am very surprised that his "bussines" is still going. NEVER going back there even if it would be the last book store on the planet.. read more

Quite possibly THE GREATEST book store ever. You don't see ones like this anymore!! It's my personal favorite. I live in Queens and I drive all the way out there just to purchase books and visit him. Classic literature, novels of all sorts, scifi and horror paperbacks from the 70s and 80s (my favorite) he's got them all. All the reviewers who are ragging on a nice old man who is trying to make a living - while competing against barnes an noble, amazon, the internet, etc., need to get a life and stop being miserable. If you can buy a 5$ starbucks with no complaints, then what the heck is wrong about a used book for $6? Unreal. Yeah, he's a little curt and totally "old school," but oh MAN, that makes the whole experience even better!!! Me and my girlfriend love going there, and he's always so nice to us and we chat it up. If you actually illicit an unwelcoming response when visiting a place like this, you should maybe take a moment to self reflect on your character as a person. If you love books and love supporting small businesses, do yourself a favor and check this place out. If you don't honestly appreciate books and you just want to browse, then yeah, go to Barnes and Noble. You're just going to clog up the aisles while I'm shopping there. read more

This is such a cute little bookstore. The man was soo nice n helpful; he has a lot more books than I even imagined. His prices were good; they're used books but most were in excellent condition. I like this bookstore; very cute n cozy. Definitely gonna go again read more

Before I begin, for those who rated this place poorly because of the owner's abrasive if not intimidating personality, he really does warm up and unfolds into a quirky and strangely charming character after a few visits. The owner knows a lot about the books he has obviously hand picked to be in his shop, and thats something you wont usually find in a run of the mill book store. Personally I really enjoy Beat Generation literature and he must have known every author and books from that era, it really blew me away. The place is a bit messy, making it more of a treasure hunt than a quick trip. Books are stacked up too the ceiling, but the place is also riddled with first additions and signed copies of great works of literature. ( the philosophy sections is great as well) This place is not for everyone. The first time I set foot in here, I was honestly terrified to come back. But if you really love books, I recommend giving it a few goes and seeing if it warms up to you. read more

The owner of this establishment was one of the rudest individuals I have ever had the displeasure of coming across. I had approximately 100 books I wanted to "donate" I didn't want any money - he made me put them on a table and then he went thru them throwing most of them on the ground, forcing me to pick them up. He wanted money from us - had no interest at all. The store itself was disgustingly filthy. read more

My goodness! I have hundreds of books, probably about 800, and called this store hoping I could get an idea of what they might be interested in. I did not want to lug over anything I knew this man was not willing to take. Note: I am more interested in passing these books on than making money. After spending less than one minute on the phone, I was insulted twice and rebuked three times. The owner was one of the most abrasive characters I've ever talked to. After being unable to get any questions answered, I gave up and told him I'd rather not do business with him at all. One Example: When I asked him if he was interested in very old books from turn of 19th century, he said he was interested in making money, not in giving advice. It went downhill from there. This is not a very good business man and certainly not a store I'd patronize. I'm shocked he thought it was acceptable to treat me so badly. read more

I would give negative stars if only it was possible. Booklovers Paradise is a pigsty of a bookstore and the owner, Amnon Tishler, is the most repulsive human being I have ever had the displeasure of encountering. Many books are not priced and when you evince interest in one, the owner quotes an outrageous price he makes up on the spot. I'm amazed that this place is still in business given the condition of the stock and the store but mostly because of the owner. Avoid at all costs. read more

Contacted about a title I was interested in. "Amnon" was extremely rude by email. Demanded I call the store to discuss the book. I was on vacation and couldn't respond immediately. He sent another email telling me because I hadn't responded "in time" he was raising the price! LMAO I already have a few copies of the title anyway. I would not do business with this seller under any circumstances. Highly recommend you look someplace else. read more

Although it's true, there may be a gem in this store; you would need A shovel to find it. This store is one book pile short of a " HOARDERS" Episode. You cannot even see the bottom two shelves in the entire store. Some aisles are impassable. The reason for the piles, aside from the total neglect by the owner, is the high prices for lesser condition Merchandise. Books that should be 1-2 dollars are 6.95 - 9.00. God Forbid you find a book without a price, you'll have to wait 15 minutes For this lunatic to look it up online. Do yourself a favor, if you go Bring a shoe horn and Bromo Seltzer, you'll need both! read more

If you don't have a sense of humor, you probably don't read very much. This store is run by an amazing, interesting man - he reminds me of Indian Jones' father who, if you recall, was played by Sean Connery. I guess the poor reviews were written by people who live on the left side of the bell curve. The used books, that I purchased on line cost about the same or more. I love this store - tons of great books, tons of not-so-great books and the owner is a cool dude. Seriously, all you one star reviewers need to develop a sense of humor! Buhjeebuz!!! LOL!!! :o) read more

I've been here a few times, and the prices aren't particularly low, but I enjoyed myself browsing. Yes, the owner is a character and isn't going to win congeniality awards, but I have friends and a dog. And it's not every store that has copies of A Guide for the Perplexed. read more

There are so many books that you'll experience tunnel vision, i was so overwhelmed the first time I went. Although not sorted in the most organized manner, every bookshelf is crammed to the brim with books. Long books, fat books and other small books also line the edges of the isles and lay in piles on the ground because there are simply too many books! Sounds like a book lovers paradise to me read more

This guy is hysterical!He's The Book Nazi."No book for you!"I find surly business owners to be amusing;sometimes even entertaining.I enjoyed reading the reviews of all you people who's day he ruined.Get over it! PS-Scott B couldn't take my heat read more

The place is certainly a experience. Their are books piled from floor to ceiling and it can be a struggle to get a hold of a book that catches your eye. For the first few minutes I walked through the cluttered isles in shock at the haphazard array of books piled everywhere. Despite what other reviews have said I had a pleasant experience with the owner. He pointed out books I might be interested in and even climbed up a rickety ladder to pull down a book he thought might interest me. While it would have been cheaper to order the books I found online the experience of digging through a pile of books not knowing what you would uncover made it worth it for me in the end. read more